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Happy New Year from
Townshippers' Association!
We're already a couple of weeks into this new year, but that won't stop us from wishing you the very best for 2022!
There have been many exciting changes at Townshippers' in recent weeks and we can hardly wait to tell you all about them. In this ebulletin, we're going to start by sharing some details about a few of the changes within our team, and we'll also tell you about a couple of projects we are working on right now.
You may have noticed that we have updated our ebulletin's look for the new year. We hope that you will like the new style. In the coming months, you will see a few more small changes, so don't be surprised if things look a bit different than you are used to. Our goal for this year is to make sure that you are receiving more information that is important to you - and less that is not. For that reason, we'll be inviting you to update your mailing preferences in the coming weeks so that we can be sure we are sending you the information you want to see. Keep an eye on your inbox!
In the meantime, if you have questions or suggestions about what you'd like to see in future newsletters, you are always welcome to send us an email at newsletter@townshippers.org.
Have a great month! |
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Townshippers' News
Townshippers' Association Names Laura Kolbe
as Its New Executive Director
On December 1, 2021, Townshippers' Association's Board of Directors announced that Laura Kolbe would be taking over as Executive Director of Townshippers' Association. Laura joined the Association's team in September 2021 as an agent for the Eastern Townships Partners for Health and Social Services Network in the Montérégie-East before replacing outgoing Executive Director, Rachel Hunting, in December.
Laura has said that she "is honoured to lead Townshippers' Association because it is a non-partisan organization focused on promoting the interests of the English-speaking community with a view to helping English-speaking Quebecers, whether they be bilingual francophones, bilingual anglophones, English speakers, indigenous peoples, immigrants, or others who use English as either a language of expression or a transition language as they integrate into Quebec.”
Laura’s vision for the Association is to continue its core mission, which includes strong advocacy for access to quality health care and social services for the English-speaking community (ESC), while adding a sustainable economic approach to the organization’s mission of promoting the interests of the ESC. This complementary “economic lens” approach to the mandate will establish the Association’s capacity to add value to the Quebec economy.
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Assistant Executive Director: Maggie Severs
Maggie Severs has recently been named Assistant Executive Director for Townshippers’ Association, and she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her new role. As Townshippers' works to add a sustainable economic approach to the Association's core mission of strong advocacy for access to quality health care and social services and the promotion of the interests of the English-speaking community, Maggie will support Laura, the Association’s new Executive Director, and work closely with Michelle, the Association's new Director of Communications.
Maggie was introduced to the non-profit sector when she worked for YES Montreal, before joining the Townshippers’ Association team full-time in 2014. Maggie has extensive knowledge of the Association’s programs and she has played a key role in managing the Association’s branch office since her appointment as Branch Office Programs Manager in 2021.
Maggie can be reached by email: msevers@townshippers.org.
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Director of Communications: Michelle Lepitre
Michelle Lepitre has recently been named Director of Communications for Townshippers' Association. In this new role, she will be responsible for the organization's day-to-day communications and she'll support other Townshippers' team members with their projects and communications needs. She will also help the Association to better engage with its partners, its members, and the media.
Michelle has a long work history with Townshippers' Association. From 2007-2010, she managed different youth engagement projects before taking on the role of Assistant Executive Director from 2010-2012. After working in the public sector in a variety of communications and marketing roles, Michelle returned to the Association in 2016 as an agent for the Eastern Townships Partners for Health and Social Services Network.
To say hi or to share your feedback and ideas with Michelle, send her an email: ml@townshippers.org.
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In upcoming e-bulletins, we'll introduce some of the other members of our Townshippers' Association team - watch for their profiles in the coming months!
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In today’s world, it’s clear that post-secondary training – whether that be at the professional/vocational level, or through a college or university – is important for a person’s future success. To make sure that post-secondary training is an option for all English-speaking students, Townshippers’ Association is committed to helping all local students find the resources they need to access training and/or education that will ensure their future success. To accomplish this goal, we have developed the "We Have Your Back" initiative.
The "We Have Your Back" initiative will:
- Provide Eastern Townships School Board students with a variety of tools and resources to help them prepare for post-secondary schooling.
- Lighten the financial load on level IV and V students by introducing them to financial tools and resources that will help them fund their post-secondary training.
- Help students apply for post-secondary funding.
- Help students apply for post-secondary educational opportunities once they understand their financing options.
- Raise students’ awareness of the significant role that mental health plays in their everyday lives.
- Help students better understand the links between mental health, academic success, and overall health and well-being (both long-term and short-term).
- Help students understand the different career options and learning paths available to them.
- Work to create more professional, and better paid, remote work job opportunities in the Eastern Townships.
The “We Have Your Back” initiative will take the form of a series of presentations offered to level IV and V students in our three regional high schools during the month of February 2022. These presentations will encourage students to take care of their mental health in the first years of their post-secondary studies and will introduce them to resources that can help them with this. The presentations will also give us a chance to introduce students to tools they can use to help them obtain much-needed financial support. One of these tools is a Bursary Directory, created by Townshippers’ Association, to inform the students about local and provincial opportunities for obtaining money to continue their training/education after high school.
During the “We Have Your Back” presentations, Townshippers’ Association’s team will also speak to students about our goal to help create future remote work opportunities to bring more professional jobs to the Townships so that students will know we are working to ensure there are great economic opportunities in the Townships for them to return to once their post-secondary studies are completed.
Watch this ebulletin and follow our social media accounts for more news about the "We Have Your Back" initiative in the coming months!
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Did you know that January is mentoring month?
Mentoring month is an annual celebration that acknowledges the hard-working mentors across Canada who dedicate their time to support the needs of their mentees. We'd like to take this opportunity to recognize, and honour, the dedicated mentors in our Inclusive Mentorship initiative who are helping their mentees to advance their French-language communication skills and boost their confidence. Merci!
Happy Mentoring Month!
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Have you checked out our About Townshippers web series on YouTube?
Hosted by Ed Humphrey, one of our friendly project managers, this series of conversations introduces you to interesting organizations and individuals who support the English-speaking community in the Eastern Townships. Why not make yourself a nice cup of tea or hot cocoa, curl up in a cozy chair, and get to know your community better, one video at a time?
This month, we invite you to meet Angela Moore, complaints advisor for CAAP-Estrie - the Centre d'accompagnement et d'assistance aux plaintes. Angela talks about CAAP-Estrie and how they can help you to make a complaint about health and social services you have received (or, in certain cases, services you have not received but should have).
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Townships Expressions
The Stories that Grandfather Told, Maude Gage Pellerin
Maude Gage Pellerin died in 1958, leaving behind a finished but unpublished manuscript called “The Stories that Grandfather Told.” This book is a collection of stories intended to help young people understand the challenges and hardships of the first settlers of this part of the Eastern Townships. If you have an interest in history, we think you’ll enjoy this book.
To find this book, or explore the Townships Expressions collection, visit our online shop.
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Legal Information
Our free legal information clinic returns on January 17!
In collaboration with the Université de Sherbrooke's law faculty, Townshippers' Association is pleased to provide the community with free, easy, and confidential access to legal information in English. The service will be available from January 17 - April 11, 2022 (with a break from February 21-28).
COVID-19 measures:
Due to the current COVID-19 situation, the legal information clinic will be operating remotely for the moment. To contact our student volunteer, we invite you to call the legal information phone number (819-566-2182) and leave a message. Messages will be checked regularly and our volunteer will return your call as soon as possible. You can also contact our student volunteer by emailing legalinfo@townshippers.org.
Please note: This opportunity is available in English only. Clinic volunteers do not provide legal advice. They can only give out information and make referrals.
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Legal Database
Are you looking for legal resources available in English in the Townships? Scroll through our new legal services database: https://townshippers.org/legal-resources-database/.
This database is also available on the Townshippers mobile application:
Google Play Store: https://tinyurl.com/4y7vn297
App Store: https://tinyurl.com/8ev8zej3 |
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